A survey involving 53 parents of children (mean age 5.3) with mental disabilities asked parents to rate various aspects of special education and related services. Results found parents were more concerned about development of skills in key areas than holistic skills development and were satisfied with current student placement. (CR)

Survey data received from student development practitioners at 53 community colleges are used to investigate exemplary student affairs programs. Identifies six core elements that underlie successful student development programs, such as champions leading the way and meeting student needs in nontraditional ways. Uses examples from community…

This commentary on "Natural Supports in the Workplace: The Jury Is Still Out" (Test and Wood), discusses existing research on the effectiveness of natural supports. Describes job development and training approaches that facilitate natural supports and how supports can be responsive to the changing needs of supported employees and…

Assessed the quality of different types of early childhood care and education programs in Chile according to international standards. Recorded structural and process characteristics observed in the classrooms. Found that Chilean preschool programs showed a minimum level of quality, with a high proportion of centers in the inadequate range.…

Evaluated the effects of a freshman seminar incorporating academic advising in an integrated baccalaureate-medical degree program. Found that participating students were more satisfied, and that their biology grades and first-year grade point averages (GPAs) were higher. (EV)

A 2-year British project aimed to foster greater understanding and skills in democratic education among lecturers and students at the School of Education, The Gambia College (Gambia). Project workshops were very well received and appeared to affect participant attitudes but had widely varying impacts on classroom behaviors and school culture. The…

Focuses on the impact of a family reading project on parents and library staff in an English borough and the partnerships it fostered between organizations involved in the initiative. Considers the project's impact on parents, public libraries and schools. Notes that one of the most important benefits of the partnership courses was pleasure…

Investigated middle school mathematics teachers' reports of the effectiveness of various professional development activities influencing their attention to students' thinking. Teacher surveys indicated that teachers' years of experience, views of learning, and mathematics background correlated with their ratings of various activities. (SM)

A review of 41 studies on behavioral interventions for children with autism (ages 0-8) found aggression, tantrums, self-injury, and stereotypy were behaviors most targeted. Results also indicate interventions should be developed based on a thorough analysis of biological, antecedent, and consequence events that control them. Behavioral support…

Examines what participation in a first-year residential learning community means to students 2-3 years after their involvement in the program. Results showed that participants valued greatly their involvement and can articulate how it helped them succeed. Most recall the sense of community that existed, the personal growth they experienced, their…

In a follow-up survey, talented undergraduate psychology majors (N=22) who participated in an intensive research program reported a greater change in research skills, greater research productivity, and stronger interest in research as a career choice than did the control group (N=21). (IAH)

The study of 35 posttreatment stutterers found that magnitude estimation and interval scaling were both valid procedures for measuring speech naturalness. Speech of nonstutterers was judged more natural than speech of treated stutterers. The acoustic parameters most highly correlated with speech naturalness were voice onset time measure and…

A series of studies at one university based on annual data from 1973-88 compared sophomore return rates of participants vs. nonparticipants in freshman orientation seminars. Participants achieved significantly higher return rates in 11 of 16 years but not because they were brighter or more highly motivated students. (Author/MSE)

This survey of accredited Registered Nurse Baccalaureate Degree programs in the United States sought to determine the status of retention efforts at these institutions. Results showed that the presence of retention programs at colleges and universities with nursing programs increased the retention rate significantly. (TE)

A discussion of belated efforts to address the national problem of underrepresentation of Blacks in medicine and medical education notes the effectiveness of a California program that emphasizes both racial non-segregation and excellence. (MSE)